Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin

Due to adverse impact of Covid-19, only 5.4% of the sanctioned houses under the central government's flagship rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin, have reached completion for the year 2020-2021.

About the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G):

>>To achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was restructured to Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) form 1st April, 2016 under Ministry of Rural development.

>>Main Aim To provide a pucca house with basic amenities to all rural families, who are homeless or living in kutcha or dilapidated houses by the end of March 2022.

>>To help rural people Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in construction of dwelling units and upgradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing assistance in the form of a full grant.

Who are the Beneficiaries :: People belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action, ex servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces, disabled persons and minorities.

How they selected :: Through a three stage validation - Socio Economic Caste Census 2011, Gram Sabha, and geo-tagging.

>>The cost of unit assistance is shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.

Features:

>>The minimum size of the house has been increased to 25 sq.mt (from 20sq.mt) with a hygienic cooking space.

>>The unit assistance has been increased from Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1.20 lakh in plain and from Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 1.30 lakh in hilly states.

>>The assistance for construction of toilets shall be leveraged through convergence with Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding.

>>Convergence for piped drinking water, electricity connection, LPG gas connection etc. different Government programmers are also to be attempted.

>>Only 55% of the construction target has been completed. Of the 2.28 crore houses to be built for the rural poor, less than 1.27 crore had been built by January 2021. Money has been sanctioned to almost 85% of beneficiaries.

>>This scheme has helped in employment generation. Many states provided employment to their migrant labourers during lock down.